Hard Love
by S.D. Jones
Summary: Short tempered Christian Grey meets Dr. Anastasia Steele after an accident with his bathroom mirror. (Co-written with FanWriter1812)
1. Chapter 1

"Christian this is absurd!" Ros yells at me, throwing the gossip magazine onto the glass coffee table in front of me. I close my eyes tighter and try to ignore the pounding headache, that has gotten worse since Ros entered my apartment and started wailing.

"Can you not scream at me?" I plead and although I can't see her I'm sure she's scowling at me.

"You have crossed the line here Christian. You put yourself, Taylor, and livelihood of the Seattle population in danger! You could have seriously hurt someone."

"I didn't."

"That's not the fucking point!" she exhales.

"I'll make a public apology."

"That's not good enough anymore. Look at the damn magazine Christian!" I open my eyes slowly and peek down at the front cover. A picture of me, drunk and pissed, throwing fists with the security guard at a club last night is staring right back at me.

Taylor had to pull me off the guy last night but he didn't do it in time before the cameras started flashing and videos were being taken of me.

"That's bad publicity Christian. The board is not happy about this."

"It was a mistake. I'll have Jackson fix it. It's why I hired him."

"Mistake or not, nobody is happy about this; especially your family and the board. We had a meeting this morning along with your father. They have decided that kicking you off the board is what's best for business."

My eyes fly up to meet Ros's. My temper is rising and I glare at her. "No fucking way. You can't fire me! I'm the one who started this company. My name is branded on the building!"

"Well you went and fucked it up Christian so the board is kicking you out until you get your shit together. There are terms you have to fulfill before they reconsider giving you your job back."

"I hired them all and I can fire every single one of them. How dare they think they can fire me? And my own father went against me?!"

"Christian! The odds are against you. The board has voted in favor of removing you from your duties till further notice." She takes a deep breath and straightens her jacket. "You've been on this drunken tirade since four months ago. You need to wake up and smell the damn coffee. If you keep this shit up, you're seriously going to lose everything you so desperately love. Your cars, your money, your company. You'll be left with nothing."

I groan and stuff my face into my hands. "The only way out of this is going to therapy and AA." I lift my hands away and look back up at my VP.

"You want to me to go to alcoholic anonymous? No fucking way! I don't have a problem!"

"Your problem is not admitting you have one. This is the only way Christian. I'll have Andrea send over all the information of the terms."

"Whatever." I mutter and walk over to my alcohol cabinet. I open it to reveal nothing but glasses. "Are you fucking kidding me?" I shout.

"I had Gail remove everything that contained alcohol from the penthouse. You don't need any temptations. I'm serious Christian and so is the board of directors. You need to get your shit together and I sure hope you do because that company can't survive without you." Ros states before walking out of my penthouse.

I walk back to the couch and plop myself down. I'm still seething with anger. "Taylor!" I demanded and he appeared seconds later.

"Yes sir?"

"Get Carrick on the phone for me."

"Right away sir."

"Where's Gail?"

"She's out on errands." She's probably disposing of all my expensive alcohols.

"I need coffee."

"I'll get you a cup after I call your father." Taylor states and hands me my iPhone before walking into the kitchen. I can always depend on Taylor. He would never turn his back on me unlike those assholes from GEH.

"You've reached the offices of Judge Carrick Grey, this is Kate, how can I help you?"

"Get me my father."

"Hello Mr. Grey, one moment please." Katherine Kavanagh. Daughter of tech mogul Steven Kavanagh. For some odd reason she wanted to go into art of law and not follow her family footsteps. I don't blame her however. Her father is a self-righteous ass and I don't trust him one bit. She's been working under my father for about a year now and I've grown to learn that she's really good at arguing.

"How's your hangover son?" my father's voice rings through the phone.

"How could you bet against your own son? How dare you agree with the board to kick me off?" I mutter.

"I didn't agree with the board son. They agreed with me."

"What?"

"I came up with the idea of kicking you out on your ass so you can get yourself back into shape."

"Are you fucking with me?"

"Watch your language. You need a swift kick in the derriere to remind yourself of who you truly are. You're the man who became the youngest billionaire at 25. You are the hardworking man who took what he wanted and made a name for himself. You're not the drunk idiot who got into a bar fight because he didn't get his way. Christian, you need to get back to who you were before your mother passed away." I close my eyes at the broken memory.

My mother, Grace Trevelyan Grey, was involved in a hectic car accident that sent her to the hospital with two broken ribs, a ruptured lung, and head trauma. She was on her way home when she was hit by a drunk driver. The best doctors did all their best but they couldn't save her; they couldn't save my mother, my savior. All they could do was make her comfortable for her last few hours on this forsaken earth.

I was in Charlie Tango on the way back from Portland when I received the news. I made a rush to the hospital after I landed. When I saw her lying there in that bed, a ventilator hooked up to her, my family crying in hysteria; I couldn't breathe.

The woman who saved me from my nightmare of a childhood was slipping away and I couldn't do anything to help her. She died the morning after her accident. Mia, Elliot, Carrick, and I surrounded her bed as she let out her last breath. I couldn't feel anything at that moment. I was numb, tears streaming down my face, my heart broken into a million pieces.

After the funeral, I drowned myself in whiskey. Needless to say for the next few months, that was my motto. I drank until I knocked out. And every night ended the same way; a memory of my mother.

"Christian?" I hear my father as I return to my state. I must have zoned out.

"Goodbye Carrick." I hang up and throw my phone on the table next to the offending magazine. I get up and walk into my room. I reek of beer and cigar smoke. I shed off my black button up and step into my bathroom.

The shower turns on to warm up at my touch and lean against the sink. I have fucked up. I stare at my reflection and what I see doesn't remind me of me. The dark bags under my eyes are a result of my sleepless nights. My hair is a mess and my beard was starting to grow in.

All because of my selfishness I am going to lose everything. The man staring back at me angers me to boiling point. Next thing I know, my clenched fist hits the mirror, splitting it into cracked pieces. My hand doesn't feel the pain till minutes later. Blood drench from my knuckles as shreds of glass are embedded in them.

"Fuck!" I yell. Surprisingly the pain feels good. I have refused to feel anything but anger and depression for so long that I forgotten how anything else feels.

"Sir," Taylor walks into the bathroom and his eyes enlarge at the scene in front of him.

"I'm fine." I respond and he shakes his head.

"No you're not! Oh god. Fuck, that's a lot of blood. Hold on." he grabs a white towel from the counter and walks over to me, wrapping my hand in it. "We need to get you to the ER."

I don't say anything as he moves us out of the bathroom and back into my room. He grabs me a shirt and walk me quickly to the elevator. He pushes me into the front seat of the SUV and turns the key in the ignition, bringing it to life.

The pain is starting to set in and it hurts like a fucker. "Hold on sir." He races out of the garage and onto the I-5 to get us to the hospital the fastest way possible.

We make it to the ER entrance in a blur. I hold onto my towel covered hand. It's died the color of a deep red. The blood from my hand seeping through the white towel. As soon as I enter a doctor is racing towards me.

A petite brunette is asking me if I'm okay but I'm momentarily stunned by her that I can't form words.

"Sir are you okay? Can you remove the towel?" she asks and I nod, removing the once white material. "Oh Jesus. Okay follow me sir." She wraps the towel back around my hand and leads me into a sterile room. She sits me down and nurses start rushing into the room.

"Okay, sir sit still alright. We're going to extract those glass shreds before we can give you stitches."

"Stiches?" I ask and she nods. She's calm and pulls on her gloves.

"By the look of those wounds, you'll need a couple stiches." She pulls up a stool and removes the towel from my hand. I look down and I grimace at the sight. Different sides of glass are poking out of my wrist. Geez I'm a royal fuck up.

Next thing I see plyers in the doctor's hands as she rests mine on my leg. "Okay try to relax and think of your happy place. This might hurt."

She starts to pull out the biggest pieces first. I flinch at the agonizing pain. "Fuck, you don't say."

I see a hint of a smile on her lips but she concentrates on pulling out the glasses. About five minutes later, she's done. She grabs the stitch kit from the nurse and starts working on the gaping wounds in my hand. I watch, mesmerized as she works her magic. "This is an anesthetic to help with the pain." She gives me a shot.

"You couldn't have given that to me earlier?"

"Well the pulling things out wasn't the painful part. This part however is." She responds and starts with the needle. I close my eyes. I can't deal with needles. I can feel the anesthetic setting in.

"Okay all done," she whispers and I open my eyes to see her work. I have a stitch right under my knuckles. Another in between my middle and index finger. She's wiped and clean away all the blood.

"Okay don't clench your hand or the stitches will come apart. We don't want that to happen. Now I'm going to go sign you up for an x-ray to make sure nothing is broken and no more glass is still embedded in there."

I nod and finally look up to meet her gaze. She's beautiful. Her hair is flowing down her back and she has a minimal amount of makeup on. She's got a smile on her face that can brighten up a dark room. "Uh thanks," I hold out for her name and she responds with Dr. Steele.

"No problem Mr. Grey," she nods and I'm surprised that she knows me. I don't remember introducing myself. She must have sensed my confusion.

"I remembered you from the news this morning. And you're very popular on social media." Ah, right. "I'm guessing this isn't from your bar fight last night."

I shake my head. "My bathroom mirror was looking at me funny." I joke and she laughs. It's odd how it soothes me.

"Well I think the mirror got the upper hand." I nod and she continues to smile at me. "You're more handsome in real life."

My eyebrows shoot up at her comment and she must have realized that she has let that slip. She starts blushing and fuck me if it wasn't the cutest shit I've ever seen.

"I uh should go, get your x-ray set up." She stutters and walks out of the room. Shit, I should start hitting the mirror more often if it means I get to see her.


	2. Chapter 2

**For those of you who followed FanWriter1812, knows** **she has stopped writing for the moment. After much consideration, she has agreed to collaborate with me on this story. So please, enjoy :)**

"Day one of therapy with Dr. John Flynn. He's good at what he does. I'm sure he'll help you," my father speaks to me as I step into my own car.

"Thanks for the reminder. You know you don't have to chaperone me to my doctor's visit. I'm not ten." I mutter bitterly and he has the audacity to laugh.

"If I don't take you, you probably convince Taylor to take you somewhere else so you would miss it."

"Probably would," I state and lean my head back, closing my eyes. My fingers run over the stiches I had gotten three days ago and I wince a little at the pain. The memory of Dr. Steele comes to mind and I smile. She went over the x-rays with me and lucky me, no bones were broken and no glass shreds were imbedded in my hand. She told me to visit her again in a month's time to have the stiches removed. I can't wait till a month. For some odd reason, besides her beauty, she captured my attention. I want her, that much I know.

"Well you're smiling so that must mean something," my father speaks and I ignore him. I don't know how long my eyes were closed but we pull up to the front of a large building. "We're here. Taylor will swing by and pick you up after your session. I'm expecting a full report by tonight."

I glare at my father. "Anything for you, dad," I sarcastically remark and get out of the car. Yes, I'm still mad at him from taking away my company. I slam the door as his laughter carries through the car. I walk into the building. I might as well get this shit over with so I can return to work.

I walk over to the young blonde working at the receptionist's desk. "Good morning sir." She greets me and immediately blushes as she looks up to me. I keep my eye roll at her obvious liking of me. I know I'm good looking but fuck it to hell when woman fall to their feet before me. It gets old and extremely annoying.

"I'm here to see Dr. Flynn."

"Uh right of course. Right this way," she picks up a folder and leads me to a door. She knocks before opening. I walk in and see that Flynn is sitting at his desk reading the daily newspaper.

"Sir, your 11 is here."

"I can see that Lauren, thank you." Flynn stands up and walks over to receive the folder from her. She leaves, closing the door.

"Hello Christian," Flynn extends his hand and I shake it.

"My father speaks highly of you." I take a seat on the couch and he takes his seat in the recliner in front of me.

"Well I did help him when your mother passed away." My eyebrow quirks at the new information.

"I didn't know he went to therapy."

"Your father was really messed up after the whole incident. I can truthfully say he's better now. He still stops in once in a while for a quick session."

"I see." My hand starts rubbing over my stitches again and Flynn's gaze flies down to my hand. Fuck, caught red handed; literally.

"What happened to your hand?" he asks pulling out a pen and opening the folder.

"Nothing."

"Christian, the whole point of therapy is to tell me everything so I can help you."

"No the whole point is for me to do this shit so I can get back my job." He smiles and looks down at the folder.

"Did you read the terms of the contract given to you about this whole deal?"

"My father's a judge, I'm sure whatever he put in the contract is liable."

"Christian, I'm the only one who can send you back to work. Without my approval of you changing your current ways, you can't return to work." Well fuck me.

"Well that's just tons of fun."

"You don't seem happy."

"I haven't been happy in who knows how long."

"Why is that?"

"Nothing to be happy about."

"Nothing? Not your success? Your love life? Not even your family?"

"Why do you think I drink so much?"

"People resolve to drinking because it helps numb the pain they're suffering from. The alcohol helps them forget all their problems for a moment."

"Well you just read my mind. You are good." I smugly comment and he nods before writing something down.

"Let's talk about how you felt when you find out your father was the one to take away your job."

"Well there's many words to describe that doc."

"Please, do tell."

"Angry, disappointed, betrayed, annoyed, hatred." I'm surprised by the last word. I wasn't even thinking it, it just slipped out.

"Hatred? Towards who? Your father?" I stop and stare back at him.

"I can never hate my father. He's the reason I am who I am today. Well not specifically at this moment but who I used to be."

"Then who was the hatred pointed towards?"

"You're going to make me say it."

"It's best to hear it out loud rather than keep it bottle up inside Christian."

"Me. I hated myself. But I'm a selfish son of a bitch and I rather drink myself to oblivion than deal with my shit."

"I wouldn't call that selfish. More like afraid."

I let out a chuckle and pick an imaginary lint from my suit jacket. "I'm not afraid of anything."

"You were afraid of losing your mother." My eyes shot back to his and I glare at him.

"We're not talking about that."

"Maybe not today but soon when I think you're ready."

"Over my dead body Flynn."

"Don't be so sure Christian. Let's get back to the topic at hand. What did you do after you find out you were no longer the CEO of Grey Enterprises?"

"I'm still the CEO. I'm just on leave."

"Okay. What happened?"

"I went to my room and slept it off."

"I don't believe that."

"Believe whatever you want."

Flynn takes a moment and doesn't speak. He just stares at me. "What?" I ask after five minutes.

"Did you hit something?"

"Maybe."

"Pretty vague."

"Isn't it your job to decipher it?"

"My job is to help you; not play a guessing game."

I don't respond. He's determined, I'll give him that. "I hit my bathroom mirror."

"That explains the stiches."

"Yeah." I look down at the string in my skin, holding my wounds together.

"Why did you hit the mirror?"

"I didn't like what I saw."

"What did you see?"

"A shell of a man I used to be. Someone I don't want to continue to be."

He nods and writes something down before closing it and setting it down. "That's good Christian. You're opening up which is great. But I'm going to tell you something you probably don't want to hear."

I acknowledge for him to continue. "You have to reconcile with every single bad thing you've done to become the man you want to be. Your demons will never disappear but facing them head on will lead you down a better path then running away from them."

Taylor is waiting for me as I leave Flynn's office. I step into the car and he drives us home. I think about Flynn's advice. "Is Gail at Escala?"

"Yes sir." Taylor responds.

"Tell her to prep some of her chocolate chip cookies."

"Alright."

When I get home I can smell the wonderful aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. I step into the kitchen and Gail has pulled out a fresh batch. She always keeps some dough frozen because she knows I love them.

"They look and smell diving Gail. Thank you," I kiss her cheek and she smiles brightly at me. She reminds me of my mother. I push away the thought and grab a glass for water.

"Can you pack them into a container?" I ask and she nods.

I move into my room and change into a dark blue v-neck and a dark pair of washed jeans. I noticed I've been wearing a lot of black recently. It must have been to match my mood.

After I finish changing I move back to the great room where Gail is holding a container of cookies. "Thanks Gail, I'll be back later."

I grab my car keys for the R8 Spyder and Taylor momentarily stops me before I make it to the elevator.

"I'm not going to a bar." I spit out and he seems to relax. "Why would I bring a box of cookies to a bar anyways?"

"Where are you going sir?"

"Nowhere particular."

"May I accompany you?"

"No need to Taylor."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Goodbye Taylor." I step into the elevator and hit the button for the garage. I climb into my most prized possession and smile as the engine roars to life.

I make it to the hospital in no time and park in the ER lot. I hope she's on the job tonight or else I'll look like an idiot. I walk into the hospital and walk up to the desk.

"Hi, can you tell me if Doctor Steele is in tonight?" I ask the nurse behind the desk and she nods without talking to me.

"Yes she's with a patient right now. You can wait for her."

"Thank you." I tuck the box under my arm and take a seat across from the desk. I pull my phone out. These are the times I would be responding to my work emails but my inbox is empty. I grimace at the sight. I don't like the feeling of not having any control.

I decided to type an email to Ros.

 _From: Christian Grey_

 _To: Ros Bailey_

 _Subject: My Company_

 _How are things running without me?_

 _Christian Grey_

 _Chief Executive Officer of Grey Enterprise Holdings Inc._

In little to no time I get a response.

 _From: Ros Bailey_

 _To: Christian Grey_

 _Subject: Re: My Company_

 _So far, smoothly. You need to call Jackson for the whole PR thing._

 _Ros Bailey_

 _Vice President of Grey Enterprise Holdings Inc._

 _From: Christian Grey_

 _To: Ros Bailey_

 _Subject: PR_

 _I will call him first thing tomorrow. I miss my work emails._

 _Christian Grey_

 _Chief Executive Officer of Grey Enterprise Holdings Inc._

 _From: Ros Bailey_

 _To: Christian Grey_

 _Subject: Get Better_

 _Well follow the rules for once and you'll receive them again in no time. Have to go; some of us have work to do._

 _Ros Bailey_

 _Vice President of Grey Enterprise Holdings Inc._

"Mr. Grey?" I hear my name and I look up into the prettiest set of blue eyes I've ever had the pleasure of looking into.

"Hi Dr. Steele."

"Please, Ana. Are you okay? Is something wrong with your stiches?"

I stand up to talk to her. "Oh no, they're fine. I just wanted to drop these off as a thank you gift for helping me out a couple days ago."

I hand over the box and she smiles at me, accepting it. "What is it?"

"Homemade chocolate chip cookies."

"Did you baked them?"

"You probably more impressed if I did but no. My housekeeper did. They're the best cookies you'll ever have."

"Well I look forward to eating them. Thank you and tell your housekeeper thank you."

"No problem. How's work going?"

"Well I'm on the 8th hour today so I'm basically running on the little energy I have left."

"I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright. I'm doing what I love so I can't complain."

"I guess not."

"Well it was mighty nice of you to come down here and give me these. I know you must be a busy man."

"Not busy now a days I'm afraid."

"Oh."

"Listen, Ana I know this is a little weird but I like to take you out to dinner some time."

"Oh uh wow." She asks completely shocked by my request.

"I hope that's a yes."

"Mr. Grey-"

"Christian."

"Christian, you seem like a really nice guy and you're extremely good looking but I'm not looking for anything right now."

I smile and nod. "I'm not leaving here without a yes. Let's just have one dinner. One night and if this chemistry I feel between us isn't right then I'll let you go. You'll just be my doctor and I'll be your patient."

"That sounds like a dirty cosplay."

I let out a laugh and she blushes. I was not expecting that out of her. "Oh god I'm so embarrass right now." She hides her face behind her hands. I reach up and remove them.

"Don't be. It's cute when you blush."

She blushes even more and I think I should relieve her of her mortifying moment. "So yes to dinner?"

She pulls her bottom lip in between her teeth and I'm royally fucked. Shit that's a turn on and she doesn't even know it.

"Okay."

"Alright, I'll contact you. Here," I hand her my personal card and she takes it.

"Enjoy the cookies Dr. Steele." I kiss her knuckle and walk out of the hospital. But not before sending her a wink.


	3. Chapter 3

"Mr. Grey," Gail knocks at my door. I look up from my book and stare at her. "Your brother and sister are here, sir."

"Thank you Gail." I respond. I set down my book and remove myself from the office chair. Week 2 of no CEO Christian has been hell. I have absolutely nothing to do with my time. I woke up this morning, went through my regular workout routine with Taylor, ate breakfast, went to see Flynn at 11, got home around 1, and had time to kill before my late lunch with my siblings. My father thought we needed to spend some time together since I've been ignoring them for months.

So henceforth, they were invited to my penthouse. I walk out of my study and into the great room where Elliot is already tasting Gail's food. Mia was on her phone till I approached and she skipped over to hug me with an enthusiastic "Christian!". I return her sentimental gesture and kiss her cheek for good measure.

"Hi Mia." I smile down at my baby sister. It was good to see her. Elliot licks his fingers and walks over to embrace me.

"Hey baby bro. It's been awhile." He pulls away and I nod.

"Yeah it sure has. Come on, let's enjoy Gail's feast." I motion towards the small dining table that I rarely use. We all sit down as Gail serves us. After she was sure we were satisfied, she left the kitchen and we were left alone.

"So you made a great front cover Christian," Elliot speaks and I shrug it off. "Dad also told us about your little predicament at work."

"Yeah well it's whatever."

Elliot lets out a chuckle. "Sure, what did Jackson recommend you do to save face?"

"I sent a letter of apology to the security guy and sent the club a big fat check."

"Money always solve the problem huh?"

"Not necessarily but it's a nice incentive."

"Okay enough talk about that, Christian, how's therapy?" Mia asks and I shrug again.

"It's okay I guess. Did you guys know that Dad went to therapy after mom's passing?" I look up at my siblings and both shook their head. "Yeah well Flynn said he did. Why didn't he tell us?"

"Maybe he just didn't want us to worry." Mia speaks, stuffing some salad into her mouth. I nod, my father is a proud man and probably never wanted his kids to know anything that would deem him as weak.

"How are you guys dealing with that by the way?" I ask and they both look at me warily.

"I guess I'm okay. I mean I miss her more and more each day but I know she's in a better place." Mia responds and I nod to agree with her.

"Somedays I'm good but sometimes it's hard to accept that she's gone. We owe all our lives to her and to know that she's gone is unbelievable. Like Mia said, I miss her more every day. I know she would want us to move and be happy but it's hard."

"Yeah well at least you both deal with it better than me," I mutter and take a sip of my water. It's all I can drink now a days.

"When do you start AA?" Elliot asks and I set down my glass.

"Tonight at 7."

Silence falls among us and it's not uncomfortable. We eat the rest of our meal in quiet. When we finish, Gail returns to collect the dishes and we all move into the living room. Mia is standing by my piano, running her fingers across the black and white keys.

"Mom always loved it when you played," she whispers and I don't know how to respond. I haven't played since before she passed away. I learned the piano for her and now that she's no longer here, I can't bring myself to play it anymore.

"Hey why don't we go visit her?" Elliot suggests from his spot by the window.

"That's a great idea. Christian?" Mia asks for my answer. I don't know if I can handle seeing her headstone again so soon but I guess if I'm going to do it, I could do it with my brother and sister.

"Sure." I gather my leather jacket from the couch and we all head out. We climb into Elliot's truck and he pulls into traffic.

We all walk up the hill, towards her final resting place. Mia's arm is looped through mine as we walk quietly. I can still see all the people dressed in black and hear all the crying of those who knew and loved my mother. The pain from the day we buried her come rushing back to me. I try to hide it the best I can. Moments like this requires a good hard liquor.

We stop in front of her headstone. Mia's hand grips mine tighter as tears roll down her face. "We miss you, mom," Elliot bends down to lay down a single red rose.

Elliot drops me off after spending some time with mom. I return to Escala and wait for another 2 hours till my AA meeting. I'm emotionally drained and I can't handle anymore thoughts about my mother. I lay down on the couch after pulling off my leather jacket.

I close my eyes and Ana pops into my mind. I still haven't received a call or text to confirm dinner. She had called me the day after I paid her a visit at the hospital. I thought it be better to work off her schedule since she's so busy and I have all the time in the world.

I pull out my phone and search for her name. I click on it before I start typing out a message.

 _Christian Grey_

 _Slowly waiting in fear that you have forgotten all about our date._

I hit send and set my phone on my chest. Nearly 10 minutes go by before I get a response.

 _Anastasia Steele_

 _Sorry, I've been booked at the hospital all weekend. How about tomorrow night? I'm free then._

I beam at her message. A smile creeps on my face as I text back a response.

 _Christian Grey_

 _Sounds great :) I'll pick you up at 7._

 _Anastasia Steele_

 _Okay, gtg, patient just threw up all over himself. I'll text you my address later._

For once, I have something to look forward to. I can't wait.

Seven o'clock rolls around and I'm sitting in a circle, surrounded by people who all have the same issue as me.

"Hello everyone, welcome to Alcoholics' Anonymous. I'm Luke Sawyer, the head of this program. But for tonight and the rest of the time that we meet, I am just a friend who is willing to help you all through this hard time." The young, tall, blonde, and well-built man greets us. His hair is cropped short like Taylor's and I get the sense that he's been through a lot in his short life. "Since tonight is our first meeting, we'll just go around the circle and introduce ourselves. I'll start us off. I've spent 10 years in the army as a trained sniper, born here in Seattle, and I've been sober for almost 3 years. It's been a tough journey but I know we can all help each other reach the end."

He looks off to his right and the man sitting next to him starts talking. I don't pay much attention to the other people who take their sweet time introducing themselves. When it comes time for me, I lean forward and start to talk. "Christian Grey, CEO of Grey Enterprises, born in Detroit." I introduce myself, sweet and simple. They don't need to know my whole life story.

The girl next to me starts. After two of the most gruesome hours I ever sat through, we were able to leave. Some people stuck around and drank coffee while getting to know one another but I wasn't one of them. I was in a dire need of leaving the place.

"Mr. Grey," I hear my name and turn around. Luke Sawyer, the program leader, walks up to me.

"Yes Mr. Sawyer?"

"Please call me Luke."

"Okay."

"I just wanted to personally welcome you to the program Mr. Grey."

"Glad to be here."

"It's nice to have a man of your stature join us. It's a reminder to everyone that no matter how successful you are; we all are still the same people with the same issues."

"Yeah."

"Not much of a talker?" he asks, amused.

"Just had a long day. I would like to get home."

"Of course, I hope to be seeing you around." I shake his hand and nod. Taylor is waiting for me outside as usual and I climb into the back of the Audi sedan. I click my seatbelt into place and lean my head back.

"How was your first AA meeting last night?" Flynn asks me.

"Do you like have a copy of my schedule or something?"

"You're avoiding my question."

"It was fine."

"Did you talk about your issues?"

"No I didn't. If I did, I wouldn't have anything to talk to you about." I comment sarcastically and he smiles at me.

"How's your hand?"

"Better."

"Good, glad to hear."

"Don't try to act like you care for my well-being."

"But I do Christian. It's what you pay me for." He jokes and I'm taken by surprise of his joke. In the past week that I've been to see him, he's never joked around with me. A smirk graces my face. "Anyways let's talk about a new topic today. Do you want to pick or shall I?"

For some odd reason, tonight's date with Ana pops into my head. No I can't share that with him. I haven't share it with anyone. He doesn't need to know about my love life. I give him the go ahead to pick and he nods. He looks through his notepad, yes he has a whole notepad dedicated to me.

"How's your love life?" he asks and I try not to laugh at the irony.

"No existence."

"Really? A man like you doesn't have a girlfriend?"

"No, a man like me doesn't have time for girlfriends."

"So you don't indulge in one night stands?"

"I used to."

"Used to?"

"Yes."

"Why did you stop?"

"Well my mother gave me a lot of crap for it. So I gave it up. I was getting tired of it anyways."

"So you do a lot for your mother?"

"I do anything for her. She saved my life."

He nods and writes something down. I know that he knows I'm not ready to speak about what happen to her and I'm thankful for that.

"I had lunch with my brother and sister yesterday. We went and paid my mother a visit."

"That's good," he replies looking back up at me. "How was it?"

"Difficult." I reply honestly. He doesn't say anything and I've come to learn that that's his cue for me to elaborate. "I haven't been there since her funeral. Seeing that headstone just made it all a little more real for me. I guess a part of me doesn't want to believe that she's gone even though it's been months."

"That's understandable."

"Yeah well it was just hard to stare at that spot where she's buried."

"How did your siblings take it?"

"We were all an emotional mess but I think it was a lot easier to take in since we were together."

"That's good, you guys need each other in these moments of vulnerability."

I make it home by 1 in the afternoon. I walk into the kitchen where Gail is sitting at the breakfast bar, writing down her grocery list.

"What are we having tonight Gail?"

"How about smoke salmon with a side of roasted vegetables? I thought it would be a good idea to keep it simple."

"Sounds good, desert?"

"A dark chocolate cake."

"Everything sounds divine."

"Great, I just need to make a quick stop at the grocery store and I'll be back to prep everything."

"Awesome, thanks Gail."

Around five, I can smell the deliciousness wafting from the kitchen into my room. I had just gotten out of the shower, freshly shaved, and made my way into the closet. I look at all my clothes. What do I wear to a first date? I have been out of the dating game for so long, not that I dated that much anyways.

I settle for a gray button up and my favorite black suit. I omit the tie and go in search of my custom CG cufflinks. I slip on a pair of black dress shoes.

I make it back to the great room and the smell of the kitchen is mouthwatering. "I'm heading out Gail, be back soon."

"Alright." I grab my keys for the R8 and take the elevator down. I input Ana's address into my phone GPS and I drive off towards her place.

She lives in a loft on the upside of town. I knock on her door and I hear a distant 'coming' from behind it. I wait till the door opens and Ana is dressed in a blue top with some dark skinny jeans.

"You clean up well Dr. Steele." I compliment her and she blushes.

"Oh this old thing, I just threw it on," she jokes and I give her a tooth grinning smile.

"Ana, you forgot your phone!" I hear another girl call out from inside and when she rounds the corner, I'm shocked to see who it is. Katherine Kavanagh.

"Miss Kavanagh, I didn't know you knew Dr. Steele?" I ask and Ana looks surprised that we knew each other.

"Well hello Mr. Grey. I didn't know you knew Dr. Steele. All she said was that her date tonight was hot!" She greets me and I try to contain my smirk.

"We should get going," Ana urges and I agree.

"Nice to see you Miss Kavanagh."

"You too Mr. Grey. Enjoy your night, you two!" Ana grabs her black jacket and we depart from her loft. We make it downstairs and I open her door before she can step into my car.

"So how do you know Kate?" she asks I pull out into the street.

"She works for my father as an assistant, I've met her a few times when I made a visit. Not to mention her family's reputation is astounding. Her father also likes to invite me to their fancy events. How do you know her?"

"We met in college. We were roommates and one night she came in, drunk out of her mind, and I willingly helped her get better. Ever since then we've been friends."

"Small world huh?"

"Yeah no kidding. So where are we going?"

"I figure we stay in."

"Oh, so we're going back to your place?"

"Yeah I hope you don't mind. My housekeeper is making a hell of a meal."

"No I don't mind. If her cooking is as good as her baking, I'm a hundred percent in."

I chuckle and I make quick work to get back to Escala. I pull into my underground garage and park the R8 in its spot. I help Ana out of the car and she looks around.

"Wow, who owns those cars?" she asks and I close the door to the R8.

"I do." I smirk and point towards the elevator. She steps in and we are comfortably quiet on the ride up. Once the steel doors open into my penthouse, I walk in and she follows shortly. Her face lights up at the scene. I knew she was instantly attracted to the large ceiling to floor windows that showed her the bright lights of Seattle.

"It's breathtaking," she says without taking her eyes away from the skyline.

"You have no idea." I mutter and turn to walk into the kitchen.

"Gail," I call out and she turns around from the stove.

"Almost done Mr. Grey." She responds and her direction flickers over to Ana as she walks into the kitchen.

"Gail, I like you to meet Dr. Anastasia Steele." Ana reaches over and extends her hand. Gail accepts it with a smile. "Ana meet the mastermind behind the amazing cookies and tonight's dinner, Mrs. Gail Jones."

"Pleasure to meet you Mrs. Jones. Big fan of your cooking," Ana speaks and Gail shakes her head.

"Oh honey, please call me Gail. And I'm glad you enjoyed my food." They let go of each other's hands and Gail leans down to the small fridge where my wine collection used to be. She pulls out two bottles.

"While I was at the store, I picked up these two bottles for you to try. They're a great replacement for wine."

I reached for the bottles and brought them closer for inspection. 12NtM was what it was called. It's a sparkling beverage with all natural flavors.

"Thanks Gail, we'll be in the great room." I grab two wine glasses and the bottle of the Blanc. Ana walks over with me and I offer her a seat on the couch. She takes it and I set down the bottle and the glasses before sitting next to her. I pop open the bottle and pour some into each glass.

I hand one over to Ana and she thanks me. We both bring our drinks to our lips and we each take a sip. It's surprisingly refreshing.

"Wow, it's pretty delicious." Ana comments and I nod in agreement.

"So Ana, how did you decide that you wanted to become a doctor?" I ask, sitting back and throwing my arm over the back of the couch.

"Well believe it or not, I didn't grow up wanting to be a doctor. I grew up loving books and when I reached college, I had my mind set on becoming an author; a professional writer. But one day while I was in class, I received a call that my father had received a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. I left immediately and got there as soon as I could. My mother was in hysterics and she was so worried. We sat in that living room for who knows how long. It felt like forever until the doctor came out to see us. He told us that my father was barely breathing when he arrived at the hospital but he did everything he could and he got my father to breath normally. I was so relieved and happy that I hugged the doctor a little too tight. From that moment on, I watched all the doctors and the nurses move about in the hospital. Those people deal with life and death every day and they somehow still pull it together to attend to others. It amazed me and motivated me to want to help people in any way I can. I knew then that this was my life choice. So I changed my major and after eleven grueling years of school, I made it."

"Wow that's quite a story." She laughs and nods before taking another sip of her drink.

"What's your story?"

"Mine isn't nearly as interesting as yours."

"Oh I highly doubt that. I mean come on, you're the Christian Grey. There's a new story about you every morning I turn on the news."

"Well most of those are untrue."

"I'm pretty sure they are. So come on, tell me what made you want to rule the world."

I down the rest of my drink before turning my body to face hers.

"I never liked the idea of working for another person. I wanted to work for myself and I had this envision of owning my own company. So I dropped out of Harvard."

"Hold the front door, you dropped out of one of the most amazing schools in the whole country?"

I chuckle and nod. "I sure did. School just wasn't working out for me."

"Wow."

"Anyways, I dropped out and convinced my parents to lend me 100,000 to start up my own company. I bought a building, hired a couple of people, and started outbidding other companies. I liquidated my first acquisition for double what I paid for it. Eventually things started working out for me and soon enough, I became a millionaire. My company took off and I made more money than I knew what to do with. My father was a well invested partner and thought that the job was stressing me out too much. I agreed so we took my company public and that made me a billionaire. A board of directors was hired to help lift off some of the responsibilities. Of course, I still run things and I am still the sole owner of GEH but my board can out vote me if the entire board agrees."

"Wow, that's a lot of responsibility."

"Yeah well that's my life and lately I have been really irresponsible."

"Oh right, the bar fight."

"Yeah. That's not who I really am. That was a drunken mistake and I will never do that again."

"You don't have to explain Christian."

"Mr. Grey, dinner is ready." Gail interrupts us and I nod.

"Come on," I get up and extend my hand to Ana. She places hers in mine and I grasp it tightly. I pull her towards the kitchen.

"If you thought those cookies were good, wait till you taste her smoked salmon." I smile over to her and she giggles in anticipation.


End file.
